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Causes and Consequences of Student Mobility in Australia

Kirsten Hancock, Stephen Zubrick

Research shows that students who change schools are at greater risk of lower educational attainment and early dropout than non-mobile students. While it is understood that there are many reasons – both positive and negative – that underpin unscheduled school transfers, all types of school moves are typically considered equal.

This approach has led to inconsistent findings related to student mobility and how it relates to other student outcomes. In addition, our knowledge regarding the extent and nature of student mobility for Australian students is limited.

The aim of this study is to provide an overview of student mobility in Australia using a nationally representative longitudinal cohort of Australian children, and to determine whether the different reasons underlying mobility are related to differences in progress over time. In particular, we will address the following questions:

What is the nature of student mobility in Australia?

Besides the transition from primary school to secondary school, how often do students change schools, and what are the main reasons behind these changes?

What are the family and socio-demographic characteristics associated with each of the reasons for students changing schools?

How are the different reasons underlying school changes related to differences in achievement progress over time at different developmental points?

Addressing these questions will help to further understand the nature of student mobility. The results of the study will help schools to understand some of the issues facing their new students, and the likelihood of which students may need more attention than others after transitioning school.

This paper will also complement other work underway examining differences in progress outcomes for students who move to similar, higher or lower-SES schools.

Plain language summary: Research shows that students who change schools are at greater risk of lower educational attainment and early dropout than non-mobile students. Yet the reasons, both positive and negative, that underpin school moves are typically considered equal, which leads to inconsistent findings on student mobility and outcomes. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of student mobility in Australia, and to determine whether the different reasons underlying mobility are related to differences in educational attainment over time.